The BAA just announced that they'll have an additional random selection component for 1,000 qualifiers who meet the standard.

What are your thoughts?

Running NYC and really overthinking it. Does this plan look ok?

I’m a pretty experienced runner I’ve done halves as recently as May coming off a nagging injury on my left side. I don’t want to hurt myself but also don’t want to under train. Idk a little stuck and would love a co-sign on this approach

I’ve turned 50 this year and have set myself the goal of running a marathon in under 200 minutes—3:19:59 or faster.

With about 12 weeks to go until 18 October, it feels like a good time to find some other runners pursuing the same oddly specific goal.

That date includes the inaugural Nelson Mandela Marathon in Cape Town, as well as the Amsterdam, Toronto Waterfront, Yorkshire, Beijing, Detroit and Great Zimbabwe marathons—so there may be quite a few of us entering the final training block at the same time.

I’ve started a Strava club called Sub200@50 for runners who:

- turn 50 during 2026; and

- are aiming to run a marathon in under 200 minutes.

You definitely don’t need to have broken 200 minutes already. The idea is to share training, planned races, progress, setbacks and encouragement—not to create a hyper-competitive leaderboard.

Is anyone else chasing sub-200 at 50 this year? Which marathon are you targeting?

I’ll add the Strava club link in the comments if there’s interest.

Hey all. As the title says, I (32,M) am wondering about which pace to target for my upcoming marathon (4.5 weeks away). I started running last year to train for a HM, ran a 1:39:00. Then started running properly in January of this year, maintaining 5x runs per week at a volume of 45-75km almost consistently - few weeks have deviated due to sickness or other reasons.

Since then, I ran a 1:32:00 HM in Delhi in March, super humid and hot for my scandinavian a**, and then more recently (3 weeks ago) I ran a local 10k race aiming for a sub-40, with a chip time of 38:10.

I got a Garmin watch in May, just before starting my marathon block, and my stats according to it are: Vo2 Max - 60, LT Pace - 3:54, LT HR - 169

Shoes are Novablast 5s for easy and recovery, Evo SL's for quality runs, long runs with MP, and races (like HM and the 10k). Picked up a pair of Megablasts this week that I intend to make my primary long run and marathon shoe.

I've attached pics of two of my most recent long runs (31 and 30km) as well as last week's 2x16 min threshold session. My original MP target was 4:25-4:30, but in all runs so far I've gone faster, just cruising 12km MP segments at 4:10-4:20 and feeling absolutely fine,

I've picked up a small hamstring strain, and am cooling off this week hoping it'll get better soon. This was my fault, as I've run 30km+ long runs three weeks in a row, with these long MP segments in them (4:10-4:20 ish).

My fitness is good, my volume has been consistent, and my main focus is to sharpen up and be FIT (emphasis there) by race day. Just wondering, what do you guys think my MP target should be? I'd love to run a sub 3:15, and eventually a sub 3 next year.

Cheers!
Edit: My pics didn't get posted, so here they are. Apologies for their size

Im training for the Chicago marathon and im about 11 weeks out.

This morning, my left foot landed on a rock during a cooldown run and i sprained my ankle a bit. Most likely a level 1 sprain.

I am able to walk around, and able to put weight on my left foot while walking. can’t do a circular motion with my left ankle at the moment while it’s restricting me from doing so.

What treatment do you recommend? How many times would you REST and ice? I’ve already iced and elevated my left ankle once for 15 mins.

I am really bummed out at the moment. Very careless mistake of me.

I will look to cross train (swim/bike) if this ankle needs to more time heal up.

Can provide pics if needed.

Any help is appreciated. Thank you

And what is your time?

Mine is:

34km Total with

14km Easy

6km MP

2km Easy

6km MP

6km Easy

For a goal of 3:45 finish.

Does this seem reasonable or not aggressive enough?

Doing the novice 2 program and literally just started this week. The program has runs three days in a row (T,W,Th), long run Saturday, cross training Sunday. Has anyone played around with how the weekday runs are spaced out? I went ahead and did the first two runs of the week yesterday and Monday, but today and tomorrow (Thursday) are just too busy. So my plan is to do the third weekday run on Friday and then long run Sunday. Thoughts? Does this plan need to be spaced out the way it’s scheduled?

I'm thinking about signing up for the Tucson Marathon which is exactly 4 weeks before I run the Disneyworld Marathon.

I plan to race the Tuscon Marathon, which is entirely a gentle downhill course, about 1.5% grade throughout. My goal pace is 3:45.

My goal for the Disneyworld marathon is to try to do all of the character meet and greets and finish. It'll basically entail running 0.5-2 mile segments, then waiting in line 2-5 minutes for a character photo op. The faster I run, better I can stay ahead of the slower runners/walkers to avoid progressively denser congestion and longer character lines. I'll ultimately need to stay ahead of the sweepers at a 16:00/mile.

My current mileage is 50 mpw. 17 mile long runs are comfortable and 22 mile long runs have been doable with effort.

I can't train on roads between the two marathons due to winter ice so I'm planning to do only treadmill recovery runs in between.

If I'm treating the second marathon as a fun run, would it be safe for me to race the first 4 weeks before for a PR?

Thank you!

My current plan is for an international marathon in October, but my plans might be changing. Do not want my training to go to waste. Still have plans for travel in October, which will eliminate the possibility to train for a November marathon. Or hold off for December (Honolulu?) after a month off?

Based in SoCal and looking for a marathon in the second half of September (potentially first week of October) in the western half of the US (can be tempted elsewhere).

• Flat (yeah, I know, so does everyone else. I do my climbing with bikes, but aim low while running). Some hills are fine (my runs are rarely flat).
• No majors or anything that is very busy and already sold out
• Easy public transportation next to an airport. Might be traveling solo and do not want to rent a car for a distant marathon.
• No silly $200+ entry fee (unless it is truly awesome)

Have an eye for Florianópolis in Brazil (yes, not the US), but that trip would have to be solo and my partner will hate me! 😂

My training is going well despite the heat. Past two marathons were not under the best conditions, and was hoping this one would be better.

Curious if anyone has used the Endorphins Training App for a marathon. How did it go? Did the plan work?
The mileage seems appropriate having looked at many other plans but I see it relies slightly more on cumulative load than a lot of 18-20 mile long runs. I like the interface and sync-ing to the watch. It also seems less aggressive than Runna which I abandoned last yr due to overtraining. But liking the UX isn’t sufficient — want to know the training plan works too!

Thanks for any feedback before I get too deep into this training block and it becomes too late to switch.

(I’m not sure why it’s flagging for spam when I try to post— genuinely trying to get people’s real reviews on a plan).

hi! i'm a slow marathon runner, I ran Paris twice... It was awesome and terrible :)

> I've been thinking about quitting and self-doubt for marathon runners.

So, I went down a rabbit hole...

I read tons of old reddit posts. Mostly the ones about missing a week of training, coming back from a niggle, or the "am I too slow to even attempt this" spiral. I expected the anxiety to be about the training itself. It mostly wasn't.

The thing that came up over and over wasn't "what workout should I do." It was some version of did I already ruin this, and can I still finish.

People seemed to have the plan handled. Strava, PDF training plan or other apps...

What they didn't have was any way to tell whether they were still okay?

Few patterns I noticed:

• Missing a single week felt WAY worse than it actually was. A lot of "I've blown the whole block" over what was (objectively) a minor gap.
• Almost nobody worried about pace for its own sake. It was always pace as evidence of whether they belonged out there at all. In other words, "can I DO it?"
• The fear peaked at weird times. Not the hardest weeks: taper, and race week, when fitness is highest BUT there's suddenly nothing to do but think.

What I'm actually curious about, and that's why I'm posting:

When you hit one of those low patches, like a missed week, a bad long run, the taper anxiety... where did that go?

did you tell someone, write it somewhere, post here, or just sit with it alone until it passed?

I ask because it seems like there's a whole emotional side of training that every tracking app ignores completely, and I'm trying to understand whether people handle it some way I'm not seeing, or whether it just goes… nowhere.

really want to hear about that.. including if you think the premise is wrong and the anxiety stuff is overblown? we're all different :)

Thanks!

I've found a local 3 mile loop to train on, have the Philly marathon in 4 months. Wanted to know if this elevation change is good for training?

Edit: the measurement is in feet

I'm training for a marathon and feel like I've covered the basics. I'm sleeping well, eating enough after runs, staying hydrated, and taking recovery seriously.

Even then, once my weekly mileage climbs, my legs still feel heavy heading into the next workout. Nothing is injured, but I don't feel as fresh as I'd like between sessions.

Have any recovery supplements made a noticeable difference for you, or is it mostly marketing? If you've tried a few, which one stood out and what did you notice during marathon training?

I'm looking at running my first marathon in Eugene April 25 2027.

I'm considering starting Running Explained's Aerobic Base plan that build you from five miles a week to 20 miles a week over the course of 16 weeks.

I would then follow it up with Running Explained's Finish Strong Level 1 marathon plan.

Any thoughts on this approach? I had planned on using Hal Higdon but most of the running podcasts Iv listened to advise newer runners against plans that have 20 mile long runs.

Hi,

Im currently training for my first marathon, ive been doing a solid 60km+/weekly for almost 6 months now, and the last 4 weeks were all 70km+

Last week my wife and i felt like we needed a holiday, so last friday we went on a 7 day holiday.

That meant that last week i ran 37k while my plan was to do 78k.

This week i ran two high intensity short runs, its 30 degree celcius here with alot of hills, when im home ill do a 14k easy and a 28km long run, and that will bring my mileage to around 55km.

Im not sure what to do next week.

If i follow my plan, i should do 86km.

Im pretty sure my body will be ready to do that 86km, but my head says it might be to much of a jump considering last 2 weeks.

On the other hand im fully rested, well trained and highly motivated to push forward.

Any advice will be welcome🙏

Hi everyone,

I'll be racing Sydney Marathon in less than 6 weeks and I'm aiming for an ambitious goal of sub-3.

Last Sunday I raced Run Melbourne Half Marathon and came away with a new PB of 1:24:21 on what I'd consider a fairly hilly course. I felt strong throughout and finished feeling like I still had more to give.

Training has gone well overall. I've been averaging around 100 km per week and have stayed pretty consistent throughout the block. Some of my key sessions have included 35 km long runs with 12–16 km at marathon pace towards the end, where my average HR sat in the mid-160s despite the accumulated fatigue.

For a bit of context, I've had previous marathon disappointments where things didn't quite come together on race day, so I'm trying to gauge whether this training block is pointing towards a realistic shot at sub-3.

My questions are:

• Based on these numbers, does sub-3 look achievable?
• What key sessions would you want to see in the final 5–6 weeks to build confidence?
• Are there any indicators you'd look for that suggest marathon fitness is there beyond a half marathon PB?

Appreciate any thoughts or experiences from those who've made a similar jump.

I’m running my first marathon in November at Seattle coming from nyc. I’ve done 5 half marathons with my PR being 1:39 and my max mileage a week about 34 miles running 4 times a week with a gym session added. Would it be smart for me to stick to the Advanced 1 plan or scale down to Intermediate 2? Also if anyone has any suggestions on how many runs a week and volume that would greatly be appreciated!

I am training for the Melbourne Marathon and trying to work out how to approach marathon pace during the build.

Current stats:
5’11”, 84 kg. Dropped from around 100 kg since Christmas.
35 Male
5 km PB: 19:57, run last week during a 75 km week.
10 km: 42:59, although I ran it with a head cold two weeks ago.

Current long runs are up to 28 km. I ran a half marathon within one of these at 1:51.

Half marathon next week. I am not planning to race it, but I would expect to run under 1:40. The plan is to hold around 4:45/km for 14 km and then push the final few kilometres.

Long runs in Zone 2 are currently around 140 bpm at approximately 5:40/km.

Weekly threshold work, currently 3 × 12 minutes, progressing towards a continuous 40-minute threshold effort. Working HR is roughly 160 to 170 bpm.

VO2 max session every 10 to 14 days.
I also cycle for cross-training and have recently added gym work.
I expect to exceed 100 km per week twice during the marathon build.

I am starting to introduce marathon-pace work into some of my long runs soon.

My main question is how people would approach determining marathon pace from here. I am trying to find the balance between not overcooking the training and not being overly conservative.
At this stage, I am thinking somewhere around 4:35 to 4:45/km, but I am not sure whether that is too aggressive or too conservative based on the current numbers.

Does marathon pace tend to reveal itself naturally later in the training block, particularly once you have completed some longer marathon-pace efforts? Or is there a good way to establish a realistic target earlier?

Any advice from people with similar 5 km, 10 km and half marathon performances would be appreciated.

Currently training for my second marathon and looking for input on pacing easy/long runs. Currently using Runna to train and it's recommending my easy run pace to be 11:00 min/mile. Easy runs do feel easy and I'm able to hold conversations/sing out loud to my music but I'm wondering if I should be picking it up a bit sooner rather than later.

I raced a half in the spring (1:53) and full (4:12) in the fall of last year. I likely could've pushed a bit harder in the full, but the main goal was to finish. I've included splits from those two races below. Average HR for the half and full were 175 and 163 BPM respectively. My current easy runs are hovering around 150 BPM at the 11:00 min/mile pace. My watch/runna say that my Z2 max should be around 156BPM and I'd tend to agree as that's about when conversations/singing are no longer truly easy. Training for these past races I arguably took the easy runs a bit to fast with my HR averaging around 160 BPM and current easy runs feel noticeable easy in comparison.

The hope is to run the next marathon in Oct and go sub 4. Currently on week 7/18 with low 20s for weekly miles with the plan peaking at 30.8 mile week in week 15.

Hi,

I’m currently training for my first marathon in October, with a goal of finishing sub 4 hours. I’d like to hear about your long-run fueling strategies so I can start training my body to take in fuel during longer efforts.

Until recently, I did my long runs without eating or drinking anything during the run. Before heading out, I would usually have two slices of toast with peanut butter, banana, and honey. However, I often felt completely exhausted by the middle or end of the run.

After doing some research, I started bringing 600 ml of Gatorade Zero for electrolytes, along with about 40 g of carbs in the form of gummy candy. I eat a small amount every 20 minutes.

I’ve already noticed a big improvement. I feel less fatigued, I can maintain my target pace for longer, and the runs feel much more manageable overall.

I have about two and a half months until race day, so I feel like now is the right time to develop a proper fueling strategy. My current long runs are around 1 hour 30 minutes, and I’m following a Garmin marathon training plan.

When should I start introducing gels instead of candies ? Is 40 g of carbs enough for runs of this length, or should I gradually increase it as my long runs get longer? Is there anything else I should be testing now so that I’m well prepared for race day ?

Thanks,

I am a returning marathoner. About 3 road and multiple trail maras/50Ks under my belt with a PB of about 3h57 (set during the 50K trail ultra). However, I had a major injury (broken leg, metalwork inserted) a couple of years ago and Loch Ness marathon at the end of September will be my first big event back.

I'm using a Garmin coach adaptive plan for the first time and I'm struggling a bit. I’m 15 weeks into a 25-week plan, I’m completing all set runs around the set pace (I live in a hilly area so base runs are sometimes a bit slower to keep in Zone 2) but I'm still averaging under 30 miles a week.

I’d be happy just to get round in my predicted time of 4h20, but I’m nervous that I'm not even getting enough miles in to finish comfortably. As I said, I’m new to adaptive plans and I’ve definitely made some mistakes. For the first 10 weeks I kept up 5*runs plus 3*medium-heavy gym sessions, with the mindset that I’d cut back the gym when the running got harder. Similarly, my old mantra was always ‘time on feet’ so I’d run and then make an effort to get out and about later in the day. I realise now that while I was expecting to cut back other things as the running got harder, Garmin has been cutting back the running to accommodate my other activities. I’m now down to two easy gym sessions a week and more focused recovery.

‘Out of my hands’ issues are that it’s been hot (so heart rate has been up even at easy effort’ and my first week of the build phase I had a small bug so missed some runs and had an even higher heart rate.

I’m now in the build phase, but with the adaptive plans you only see a week in advance, and runs can change up until their scheduled day, so I can’t see what Garmin has planned for me in terms of peak week/longest long run. Do I stick with the adaptive plan, or make the leap to a tried-and-true Hal Higdon before it’s too late? I feel like I have the capacity to run more than is being asked of me, and I have a really solid S&C base, but I'm also now nervous I've left it too late for a proper build.

I’ve been running at least 15 mpw for the past 13 weeks ranging from 15-30 miles. I know this is pretty low and the variation is due to vacations but generally been super active hiking and biking on the lower volume weeks (like 8 hr hikes or 30 mi bike rides, but I know it’s not a replacement for running).

Right now I am at 30 mpw and I have a marathon in 12 weeks but I’m considering dropping down to a half because I don’t think I have enough time to build mileage.

I’ve seen a few posts about this but for first time marathoners- I’ve ran a marathon before so I know I can do it, I just want to do one faster now. I’ve been rapidly improving recently due to having more structured speed training. My first marathon I ran a 4:15 and had only barely hit one 40 mpw in training.

I ran a half marathon 4 weeks ago on a very hilly course at 1:44 so I believe I can go faster and set some bigger goals for myself like something sub 4. I’m looking for advice on if it’s realistic to do this within the next 12 weeks or if I should drop and do a spring marathon?

Hi! I’m following the Pfitz 18/55 (currently on week 9) plan and training for Berlin Marathon. Everything was going well, and the 20 mile run on Sunday felt strong.

Then today during a 6 mile recovery run, a pain developed in my lower left shin. There was a heat wave and I was running under 90F/32C, I kept lowering the pace in order to lower my heart rate to meet the ‘recovery heart rate’ goal. Then left shin started feeling weird between mile 4-5, it was mild so I still finished the 6 miles. But as soon as I stopped, the pain felt stronger. It got better after couple hours but can still feel it if flex the ankle.

I’m guessing what happened is that I messed up the form when running slower than usual, and probably should have just let the heart rate go up? Or I should pay more attention to the form and learn to properly run at slower pace?

What I’m worried the most is whether I can continue the training tomorrow, I have 13-14 mile mid long run tomorrow (another 90F day!). If the pain was from a bad form, it might be fine if i still run but make sure to run a normal/faster pace? Has anyone experienced something like this? Interested to hear your thoughts on this. Thank you!

(I can’t believe I got problems from a recovery run 😭)